Long Term Gains – The Climb #9

Long Term Gains – The Climb #9

Monday 30th January 2017

I had two deliveries today. The first was a camera device I backed on Kickstarter. It has a lightning detector which I’m hoping to use it in America this summer to take some awesome storm photography.

The other thing I got was a new sword. Yep, I’ve been waiting close to a year for my new rapier. It’s exactly the same as my first, the idea being that if a blade breaks or there’s some other issue, I have a spare.

I also ordered a new cup hilt for my existing rapier that turned up with the new sword. This means that I not only have a new weapon but I can refurbish the old one.

And then a friend on facebook posted that they were selling some stuff. Now I’ve learnt after a friend beat me to a £700 book listed for £50 on Ebay that you have to be quick and so I pounced on buying a nylon dagger and a buckler. I have a couple of steel daggers that I train with but sometimes the person I spar with only has nylon so it’s handy to have one of those as well. My existing buckler’s rivets are starting to go on the boss and whilst I’ve ordered a new one, I don’t think it’ll be here before my tournament at the weekend.

It looked like I’d be instructing twice this week, teaching new starters the basics of swordfighting. However, the guy I was covering for tonight (as he was starting a new job) turned up so I was able to train (ironically not with my new rapier as I’d left it at home unassembled). I enjoy teaching. It forces me to really think about the foundations. Too often a swordfighter will refuse to revisit them, mainly out of ego, but I think there’s always new insight to be gained by constantly going back to the fundamentals. It’s not going to help me in the short term but I work hard on the belief that long term, the benefits will be huge.

I’ll be honest and say I’ve been feeling a little frustrated today. Like everyone, I can see everything I want to accomplished before me and sometimes lack patience. It’s so easy to see how far there is still left to go rather than how far you’ve come. Luckily, even if I’m feeling frustrated I still make a point of doing the work… because it’s those 1000 words here and there that mount up and propel you forwards. I know the best thing to do when feeling like this (which if I’m honest has probably been caused by the news) is just work.

I didn’t get as much writing done as I would have liked today; about 1500 words on the novel. Part of this is because I’ve finished the big last chapter and moved onto the next. I’ve got another big scene in this one but I’ve got to shift a few things around to make the continuity work. This is heavy duty editing. I already know that this scene will probably need aspects of it further rewriting (I like the characters but I think I need to set some of them up earlier and do some more work on giving the gang a bit more of an identity and better scenery) but for now I just want to focus on the plot and moving all the pieces into the right place.

Whether it’s swordfighting or writing, it’s all about the long term gains. That can sometimes feel frustrating when you can’t see your own traction, but this is where doing something like The Climb helps. Not only does it make me accountable to myself, but it allows me to look back and see the progress.

If you want to follow more of my journey, then be sure to check me on my social channels. Likewise, if you’d like me to expand on any point mentioned above, please say so in the comments.